National Security

A-10 Justifies Its Existence In 30-Second Clip Of Taliban Getting Vaporized

U.S. Air Force photo/Master Sgt. William Greer

Daily Caller News Foundation logo
Russ Read Pentagon/Foreign Policy Reporter
Font Size:

The A-10 reminded the world why it is still one of the most dominant close air support aircraft by vaporizing a group of Taliban.

Taliban forces were clearly unaware of how bad a day they were going to have as they are seen heading into what appears to be a reservoir. The video zooms in on a pair of Taliban, allegedly armed with a hidden PKM machine gun. Just as a third militant begins to walk toward them, the A-10 opens up with an extended burst from its seven-barreled GAU-8/A Gatling gun.

You can watch the entire video here.

 Known as the “Warthog” by its aircrews for its ugly appearance, the A-10 Thunderbolt II is a stalwart weapons platform. The nearly 40-year-old aircraft was originally designed to be a tank killer in the mid-1970s, but quickly became an all-purpose close air support aircraft thanks to its dynamic abilities. Featuring 1,200 pounds of titanium armor, a short take off, 16,000 pounds of mixed ordnance and its signature Gatling gun, the Warthog has been the best friend of several generations of soldiers and Marines.

The Air Force began to consider decommissioning the Warthog in 2012, in order to make room for the supposed catch-all F-35. Fortunately for the Warthog, the threat posed by Islamic State and some supporters in Washington such as Rep. [crscore]Martha McSally[/crscore] have ensured instead of rusting away, the A-10 will continue to annihilate America’s enemies, one 30 mm round at a time.

Follow Russ Read on Twitter

Send tips to russ@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.

All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.